Statistics Canada data shows that immigrants have a high rate of employment

By CIC News |

Statistics Canada has released the Labour Force Survey data for October 2022. Overall, the rate of unemployment has recovered from increases over May-September but is still consistent with September at 5.2%.

The biggest gains in employment were in manufacturing, construction and accommodation and food services while employment decreased in wholesale and retail trade, as well as in natural resources. Most new jobs were within the private sector, which is the first time the private sector has seen an increase in employment since March 2022.

Immigrants are successful at finding employment

The release of the 2021 census data on immigration showed that 23% of Canada’s population is an immigrant. The census defined immigrants as people who are or have ever been a landed immigrant or permanent resident.

The survey shows that immigrants have been successful in finding employment and filling some of the gaps in Canada’s labour force. Just over 62% of immigrants aged 15 and over are employed. It was also found that immigrants who arrived in Canada over the past five years had an employment rate of 70.7%, a higher rate than October 2019, pre-pandemic.

Most new jobs are full-time
The employment gain in October was exclusively seen in full-time work (there were decreases in part-time employment, but full-time employment gains offset the total losses). There were 119,000 full-time positions filled, boosting the rate of full-time employment by 3% over October 2021.

The rate of part-time employment has remained consistent, but there has been a shift as over the past 12 months, men have been more likely to find full-time employment than women, experiencing a growth rate of 3.9% while the increase is at 1.9% for women.

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